Cinema: The Divorcee (1930)

In this pre-censorship film, Norma Shearer dazzles as Jerry, a modern woman who shocks society by embracing independence after her husband’s infidelity. Defying double standards, Jerry explores love, heartbreak, and empowerment in this bold story of passion and revenge.
The film will be preceded by a short introduction, and followed by a raffle.

Tickets from the Cinema Museum/Ticketlab (about £8.80):
http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/2025/women-and-cocaine-presents-the-divorcee-1930/

Norma Shearer wasn't the first choice for the role, it had originally been planned for Joan Crawford. Shearer was known for her prim, ladylike roles, but fought to get this part by petitioning husband Irving G. Thalberg. He however wasn't convinced at all, he even bluntly stated that she didn't have a sexy screen presence (brave man), but Shearer specially commissioned negligé shots to present to him, and he signed her on the spot. She's a revelation in the role, a beautifully nuanced and at times understated performance that explodes in the second half [paraphrased from attaboyclarence.com]

"From the period of 1930 to 1934, before the introduction of censorship, women were depicted in roles with a frankness and sex-positivity that remains rare even today. These newly independent women pushed gender boundaries as they pursued their own economic freedom and excitement, defying the previous Victorian ideals of domesticity, sexual purity and religion. Hollywood soon caught on and began to represent these women on screen, and each month we celebrate a different woman from that era."